"For at least half a century, the National Weather Service has been an around-the-clock operation. That is no longer possible in parts of the country."

"For at least half a century, the National Weather Service has been an around-the-clock operation. But after the U.S. DOGE Service led efforts to shrink the federal government, that is no longer possible in some parts of the country.

In four of the agency’s 122 weather forecasting offices around the country, there aren’t enough meteorologists to staff an overnight shift, according to the National Weather Service Employees Organization, a union representing agency workers. And at least several more forecast offices are expected to stop staffing an overnight shift as early as Sunday.

Each of the offices has local knowledge about weather hazards and geographic features that helps improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and warnings and inform local officials’ decisions to close schools for wintry weather or evacuate residents ahead of hurricanes. Without a meteorologist working overnight, those offices’ duties to monitor conditions and issue forecasts and warnings will temporarily pass to neighboring offices each night, said Tom Fahy, the union’s legislative director."

Scott Dance and John Muyskens report for the Washington Post May 16, 2025. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"More Tornadoes And Fewer Meteorologists Make For A Dangerous Mix That’s Worrying US Officials" (AP)
https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-weather-service-cuts-doge-9ec14130b... [3]